Everyone exchanged information.
I learned some new details.
At a business dinner two weeks ago, Jack got very drunk. In the end, a beautiful female
CEO they were working with personally drove him home.
Afterwards, she privately arranged to meet Jack several times.
Plus, I hadn’t brought afternoon tea to the company for a week. Everyone guessed Jack and had a fight.
He would soon be single again.
Once this spread, some young women with ulterior motives started throwing themselves
at Jack.
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After that, Rachel couldn’t sit still anymore.
“Miss Chen, you’re so great, I really don’t want to hide this from you. Please don’t be sad. Although Mr. Wilson is handsome, he’s such a jerk. You’ll definitely meet a better man! No, scratch that. Who needs men? Miss Chen, you’ll definitely reach the peak of your career. Your coffee shop will be super popular. Then you can think about men, haha.”
Emma’s words cheered up my somewhat low mood.
“Thank you,
I’ll do my best.”
After hanging up, I saw it was past midnight. The reminder on the calendar was especially obvious.
Divorce countdown: 14 days.
Combining Emma’s words, I understood why Rachel was so anxious to have Jack promote her to office manager and why her attitude had changed.
Jack and I were about to divorce. She originally thought she could successfully take my
place.
But now that others got wind of the news, they were swarming in.
All with good conditions.
All able to provide a fresh excitement.
She was afraid her prize would slip away.
She felt threatened.
She needed to use her “blatant power” to intimidate those with designs on Jack.
This past two weeks probably wasn’t the first time she had made a fuss. Tonight she
forced Jack to leave.
She likely knew she had gone too far.
So earlier she was trying to provoke me with those photos.
Goading me into confronting Jack, so he could see me lose control, and shift the focus
onto me.
Before she sent those filthy things, I really didn’t want to bother anymore.
Since she insisted on making me sick.
I’ll oblige her.
I neither blocked nor deleted her.
I neither blocked nor deleted her.
The first thing I did was arrange to have dinner with Jack.
He was momentarily taken aback, but agreed
We set the restaurant as the place where Jack first took me for my birthday, near the university.
Back then it was a small diner. Now it had doubled in size, with business steadily improving.
When Jack’s luxury car stopped in front, it stood out jarringly against the old alleyways.
This was the best meal the Jack of over a decade ago could afford to treat me to.
He had saved up money from part–time jobs for a long time to buy me a necklace and bring me here for dinner.
Looking at the well–dressed Jack sitting across from me, I saw the earnest young man from my memories overlap, then fade away completely.
I didn’t book a private room, deliberately choosing a table by the street. The sunlight was nice here.
Neither of us spoke. After Jack ordered, he habitually rinsed my bowl and chopsticks with hot water.
While eating, Jack kept saying the taste wasn’t quite right.
He even called over the owner, learning his father was still in the kitchen.
He was slightly surprised but didn’t say more.
I took a bite of the spicy stir–fried pork and found the taste unchanged. I smiled and said he had changed.
Jack asked, “Is that so?”
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“Of course. Over the years, Mr. Wilson has seen and eaten so much. You no longer find the flavors of this little shop good. But to me, the taste is still the same as back then.”
Jack put down his chopsticks and looked at me. After a moment of silence: “Olivia, I’m sorry…”
I smiled bitterly: “People have already moved on. I should learn from you on that.”
Jack spoke slowly, tentatively: “Don’t you want to ask anything?”
“If I asked, would you tell me the truth?”
Tell me that on the day of my father’s surgery you were still fooling around with Rachel?
Jack, you can’t bring yourself to say it.
He fell silent, letting out a long sigh before changing the subject to ask if I had some matter to discuss.
I stated directly that I needed some money recently and wanted to know if he could transfer the remaining $12 million soon.
“Olivia, even if you arranged this meeting just for money, I’m still happy. After all these years, I never realized I had moved on while you remained in place. I’ll transfer the money to you as soon as possible. If you need any help in the future, just let me know.”
After Jack left, I went to the counter to pay.
I sent a tip to the owner, thanking him for the small favor earlier.
He had told Jack his father was still in the kitchen, which wasn’t wrong, but the kitchen now had more than one chef.
This spicy pork wasn’t actually made by his father. The taste was similar but not exactly the same.
It was normal for Jack to taste the difference!
I wanted him to feel superior, to think he had changed and moved beyond this place,
the same.
It was normal for Jack to taste the difference
I wanted him to feel superior, to think he had changed and moved beyond this place, while I was still remembering and longing for our past.
Acting vulnerable makes negotiating terms easier.
After leaving, I went to a private investigation firm.
I had contacted them last night, and they already had results this afternoon.
Fast enough.
He handed me a folder.
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It was Rachel’s information.
Age 41, married with a 12–year–old child.
Her husband works at a factory in a neighboring city.
Besides that, the person she’s had the most contact with these past two years is her brother.
Her brother also knows about Jack’s existence.
To be honest, when I saw this information, I was quite surprised.
I knew Rachel’s age, but at the company she always said she was divorced.
And she even has a child.
The key point is she’s still married!
I asked the investigator if the information was real.
He proudly gave me an “OK” hand gesture.
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“You can trust my work, ma’am. Just say the word and I can send this out immediately…”
“No need.”
I wanted this information not to notify Jack.
On the contrary, I hope Rachel can hide her husband well for now.
At least until I finalize the divorce.
I had underestimated Rachel.
I thought she wanted to be the mistress who became the wife.
Turns out it was a long con.
She spent two years on Jack, and just when she was about to succeed, she definitely wouldn’t let anyone else snatch him away.
I circled a date on the calendar.
Divorce countdown: 13 days.
